Fresh Strawberry and Gingered Rhubarb Pie for a Pie Party

A fresh take on the classic strawberry-rhubarb pie that your mother used to make. Rhubarb pie filling spiked with ginger and an almond shortbread crust are finished off with fresh strawberries in a bright glaze.
There’s no question that Dr. Seuss has captivated many of children, mine and myself included, with his whimsical storytelling. When Hollywood started to produce his stories on the big screen I squealed with joy at the sight of Jim Carrey grinching it up and Mike Myers donning a cat suit, and I made them part of our home movie collection just to have the opportunity of watching them again with the kids and seeing how many times I can get Lene to repeat the line, “You can make cupcakes out of anything!”

It’s one of those parenthood perks, the ability to watch children’s movies over and over again without the least bit of guilt or shame, and I’ll be right there in line when Harry Potter opens next week, too…hand in hand with my 11-year-old, who read the books and earned a trip to the movie. A rough life this parenting thing is.

Imagine my joy, then, when I stumbled upon a certain fabulous gem of a television show with a male narrator connecting the dots between the characters and filling us in on all the details as we watched them in graphic sunshine flit about the screen. “It’s like Dr. Seuss for adults,” I proclaimed, instantly falling in love with the pie maker’s story of life and death and the love lived within, as he poured out his life making pies.

Like all good TV series, Pushing Daisies ended far too soon, leaving many pie-lovers unfulfilled in their desire for pie and romance, yearning for another slice.

Fan of Ned and Chuck or not, pie is one of those desserts that has the ability to just make you feel good, and so when I was invited to take part in a pie party today put together by Shauna Ahern, I did not hesitate one bit.

My garden has been bursting with rhubarb, and the farmers market is already winding down on strawberries. It had been far too long since I had a good strawberry-rhubarb pie, and so I set out to recreate one, but I stopped short and decided to switch things up just a bit by starting with a gingered-rhubarb pie filling.

Rather than combining both strawberries and rhubarb together and topping with a nice lattice crust, I determined the right and proper thing to do was to plan a rhubarb pie topped with glazed fresh strawberries, mixing up traditional with a bit of new flavor.
Cook the rhubarb filling down just a bit (inspiration to do this from Brown-Eyed Baker!) so that it will spread easily and cook completely in the crust.
An almond shortbread crust will hold everything together. It comes together easily in a food processor with cold butter, and then we press it into the pie plate – no rolling dough necessary! Bake slightly and then spread the rhubarb filling on and bake until golden brown.
As the pie is baking, start making your strawberry glaze that will hold the fresh strawberries in place. Whole strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, salt and almond extract to complement the crust get pureed together into a quick and easy glaze.
When the crust is baked and the filling set, it’s time to top our rhubarb pie with a strawberry pie.
Start by filling the entire pie with fresh strawberries, and then drizzle the glaze over, covering them all.
Soon you’ll have a bright and cheery mound, calling out to you. Let it firm up in the refrigerator for a few hours, and then you’ll be ready to top it off and eat.
A bit of whipped cream and candied ginger, and you’ll be on your way to a little slice of pie heaven.
So, embrace the child inside you with a slice of homemade pie. If you’re looking for more pie-spiration, check out all the others participating in the Pie Party fun!

Preheat oven to 375° F. In a food processor, pulse together flour, almond flour, powdered sugar and salt for the crust. Add in small chunks of cold butter and pulse until the mixture starts to clump. Press dough into a 9″ pie plate. Dock the bottom of the crust with a fork and bake for 10 minutes.

While the crust starts to bake, add rhubarb, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, ginger and salt to a medium saucepan over medium eat. Heat until the mixture starts to sweat and the rhubarb just starts to break down, stirring frequently. When the crust has baked for 10 minutes and is just starting to set up, carefully spread rhubarb mixture over the bottom. Return the pie to the oven for 15-20 minutes or until edges of crust are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat over medium heat until the mixture is bubbling, blend together using an immersion blender. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Arrange remaining strawberries over the top of the rhubarb pie filling. Pour strawberry sauce over the top to cover. Refrigerate at least 4 hours for strawberries to set up.

Just before serving, whip together heavy whipping cream and 1 tablespoon powdered sugar until stiff. Pipe over the edge of the pie and sprinkle with candied ginger, if desired. Slice and serve.

Pushing Daisies was probably our most favorite TV shows . . . Kristen Chenowith was HYSTERICAL in that show, not to mention Ned and Chuck – the whole thing was just brilliant!! and can your kids be any cuter??!!!

Your pie looks delicious, and I love the pie party idea…I might just try that with some local friends and have a pie sampling. 🙂 I wanted to let you know that I featured your Tidy Mom guest post (pina colada sorbet) today on my blog. It looks amazing!

Seasonal – gorgeous – love the pic of your daughter with the cream! Wish I was there. She looks like a sweetheart! The pie is similar in appearance to our traditional Strawberry Pie – but, no rhubarb in ours. This, I must try! Yow-sers – does it look yummy, and summery, and festive and fun!
🙂
XO
Valerie

Thank you! We grow rhubarb annually, and I was thinking this year I would make a pie with it. I haven’t actually had anything with it in years, but have been pining for it because of youthful memories. I cannot wait to share it with my sisters and Mom. Fantastic! A new experience created out of something that brings us bittersweet (no pun intended) memories from our family garden!

Hello, I'm Shaina. Food for My Family is where I share recipes, tips, opinions, and my philosophy on food as Ole and I strive to teach our four children how to eat well: seasonally, locally, organically, deliciously, and balanced. [Read more...]

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Hi, I am Shaina Olmanson. I am a work-at-home mom of four, feeding my family and my friends one plate at a time. I share recipes, tips, opinions and my philosophy on food as I strive to teach my four children how to eat well: seasonally, locally, organically, deliciously and balanced.